Rising Tides
by MoonRiver513
Summary: Part II of Rogue's story after she takes the curefollowing As If Fades Part I. Rogue left one year ago, when her powers suddenly return. Will she be able to deal with being a mutant again? Especially after meeting the new student: Remy LeBeau?
1. Chapter 1

_This is the continuation of the Rogue story, begun in "As It Fades". If you haven't read the first story, I suggest you do, so you understand more of what's going on. I hope you enjoy and are excited to find out what's happening to Rogue and Co. as much as I am to write it! _

* * *

Logan sighed as he pulled the warm mug from the microwave, dropping the tea bag into the hot water and staring as the water turned dark. Around him the Mansion was dark and silent, unusual for this time of year and for this school particularly. He paused, feeling his gut churn as he let his thoughts focus on the girl sitting in the next room.

Rogue was back.

As were her powers.

Silently, he cursed. She had wanted so badly to have a normal life.

And, damn it, she deserved it.

Lord knew that she had been put through more than enough heartache throughout her short life already. She had left home, for whatever reason, traveled for how long all on her own as a young teenager, then, when she had thought she had finally found some happiness and normalcy in her life, the very thing she had hated about herself had returned.

He groaned. The kid didn't deserve this at all. She had only been gone for, what, a year now?

He had been upstairs, having a…discussion…with Storm, taking advantage of the peaceful mansion when they had heard a sound downstairs. They knew no one was supposed to return for at least two days, so Logan had gone to check it out, ready to defend himself and the school if he had to. Who knew what kind of people would be terrorizing them now?

But at the top of the stairs, he had caught a familiar scent. It had taken him a moment to recognize it, being so long since he had smelled this particular person. It had made him pause, and at the same time had made his heart leap, which surprised him, even now.

And she had been standing there, her arms wrapped around herself, and glancing around her, as if confused. She didn't look the same, though, something was different…something wasn't right about her.

He braced his hands on the edges of the sink, recalling his first views of her in the hallway.

Her haphazard appearance was what first set him off. She was clad in a thin, barely-there tank top and jeans, with completely insensible shoes. Yet she was filthy. She had scratches covering her arms, with smudges of dirt and rips in her clothes. He had glanced behind her and recalled the secret door in that particular panel and realized she must have snuck her way inside.

Then she had started crying, panicking when he tried to touch her, the tears streaming down her pained face. He had helped her into the TV room, trying to take it all in.

She sounded different. Her accent was back. She must have been down south, then, he figured. That, and she was tan. No longer was she the pale, withdrawn young girl that he had met all those years ago.

Her hair was different. She had cut it, so it went just slightly past her shoulders, and the ends had begun to curl. For as long as he could remember, her hair was always straight. The color was different, too. Lighter. He imagined all the sun in the south must have naturally lightened her hair.

She had cut the white sections of her hair, too, so they framed her face in different lengths. She had cut one side to make some of those side bangs that he saw on the girls around the mansion every day.

She had adapted to her new life, wherever it had been. And it had been cruelly ripped from her with the return of her powers. He grimaced as various scenarios played through his mind. He could imagine so many ways that she had been forced to leave, to return here. With all the new laws and regulations…with the new President…who knew what the public would do if faced with a mutant. What could have happened to make her return to New York immediately? She hadn't even brought a jacket, or a bag.

What had happened that was so horrible that she had felt she needed to leave instantly, and return here?

* * *

_Remember to keep reading when I've updated and let me know what you think/want/hope for in the story. They really do help and give me different ideas that I can add in. I hope you enjoy!_


	2. Chapter 2

_A/N: Mark the calander, I've actually updated in a reasonable amount of time! Be excited!_

* * *

Rogue was still shivering, even though Logan had covered her with his flannel shirt as he had guided her into the TV room to sit on one of the couches. The warmth of the shirt didn't help much, but she invited the comforting smell of him surrounding her. He hadn't murmured any quiet, comforting words to her, or told her it would be ok. He had stayed silent and let her react in her own way. In some way, that comforted her more than if he had said anything.

She still couldn't seem to stop shivering, though.

The shock of admitting the return of her powers, to someone else as well as to herself, seemed to have affected her more than she expected, shaking her to the core. She stared at her reflection in the black television screen, her eyes widening as she saw herself. No wonder Logan had been so wary to see her.

Her hair was tangled and messy, with bits of leaves stuck in it. She had smudges of dirt on her face, her arms. Her shirt was wrinkled and torn on the side, while she had scrapes on her arms and rips had formed on the knees of her jeans, from her various stumbles. She glanced down and groaned. Her feet were filthy, from wearing open-toed high heeled shoes on her trek up the eastern coast, and there were some blisters that were visible.

She knew that most of her disarray was from trying to get herself in the Mansion, scrambling around the grounds and practically crawling through damp secret hallways, but she knew that she would still look awful if she had been able to come in through the front door.

Her trek had been long, and there were times when she had been forced to walk some of the distances by foot, causing her blisters and her filthiness. She had managed to get herself somewhat clean during her stay in a dingy motel one night, but had to put her dirty clothes back on, and then had worked her way through the Mansion grounds.

She glanced up at Logan entered the room, snapping her out of her reverie. He handed her a warm mug, sitting on the table across from her. She glanced down into it and couldn't hold back the smallest of smiles. "You know how to make tea?" She asked, holding the mug between her hands and letting it warm her.

"Yeah, well," He mumbled, scratching his jaw, looking slightly embarrassed.

She took a sip and sighed, feeling the warm liquid slide down her throat, warming her center. They sat in silence for a moment as he studied her, waiting for her to speak. She avoided his gaze, biting her lip.

"So, uh, where is everyone?" She asked awkwardly, trying to fill the silence.

"The older kids took the younger ones on an outdoor excursion." He said after a pause, and at her confused expression he continued. "A camping-slash-training session." He clarified.

"Oh."

There was a tense silence again and Logan leaned forward, letting out a sigh. "You gonna tell me about it?"

She kept her eyes on her mug, studying the dark liquid. "Ah'm not sure Ah can talk about it jus' yet." She began slowly, glancing up at him. "Ah…Ah don't even wan' to remember it." She continued, her face full of pain. "It's jus' so hard to believe, Logan, Ah mean…Ah got the cure, Ah know Ah did!" She stood now, beginning to pace in front of him.

"The whole time, Ah just kept thinking 'How could this happen?' But, how _did _it happen, Logan? Ah could touch people, Ah know Ah could!" Her expression changed from pain to frustration as her emotions overcame her.

Logan stood, putting his hands on her shoulders, and ignoring her slight flinch at his touch. He pushed her back to sitting and she calmed down slightly, glancing at his face. "We're gonna figure this out, kid," he said comfortingly, squeezing her flannel-covered shoulders.

"Logan, Ah just--" She stopped as she heard more footsteps, her heart jumping again at the voice she heard.

"Logan, are you down here? I thought I heard--" Storm stopped short when she turned the corner and saw Logan facing someone on the couch. Rogue turned and glanced at the woman, the dark skin of her face paling as she saw who it was, and what condition the young girl was in. "Rogue." She managed, through a strained throat.

Rogue swallowed, and saw Storm glance at Logan before taking a couple of steps into the room. She studied Rogue for a moment before speaking. "Rogue, what are you doing back here? What happened?"

Rogue felt her throat constrict as she shook her head, although she appreciated Storm's concern. "Ah don't want to have to explain it all right now."

"Kid."

Rogue sighed, avoiding Logan's gaze. After a moment she forced herself to speak the same words she had dreaded before. "Mah powers are back." She whispered, her throat still constricted. She kept her gaze on the floor, avoiding both of their faces and therefore did not see the look that passed between them.

"Oh, Rogue." Was all Storm said; it was all she _could _say.

Rogue forced herself to take a deep breath, it was now or never. "Ah know that Ah left before…Ah kind of abandoned you all--"

"You didn't abandon us," Logan cut in.

"Ah didn't know where else to go…when this happened." Rogue continued quietly, guiltily. She glanced at Logan and then at Storm. "This is the one place where Ah knew Ah would be safe. But--if you don' want me here…"

"What makes you think you're not welcome?" Logan asked, his voice gruff with disbelief. She glanced at him, her eyes full of thanks as Storm walked around to place a hand on Rogue's covered shoulder and threw a look to Logan as Rogue once again flinched at the touch.

Storm studied her for a moment, her face contemplative before she spoke. Rogue could feel her heart pounding, terrified that Storm would immediately start asking question, and even more terrified that Storm would turn her away. Storm smiled, a small, almost pitying, sympathetic smile. "Come on, a room just cleared up. Let's go set it up, alright?"

Rogue stood, a wave of relief washing over her. She nodded, following Storm to the stairs. She threw a look to Logan as she left the room, hesitating until he smiled his regular half-smile at her and nodded, urging her on.

When they had reached the room, Storm left to gather linens and Rogue stepped into the bedroom. She let out a small sigh as she touched the bedpost, and glanced around the room. She turned when Storm came back. "Thanks." She said, her voice hesitant, helping the headmaster to begin to make the bed. "Storm," She began. "Ah--Ah just know how you've felt about the cure all along, and, Ah, well--"

"You have always been welcome here." Storm interjected smoothly, her voice soft as she paused. "And you were missed." She began to make the bed again. "It'll be nice to have you back." Rogue grinned thankfully, feeling relieved. "I'm just sorry it's under these conditions," Storm added, her face clouded. "I really am."

Rogue nodded, becoming slightly uncomfortable. Silence fell.

After a moment, she glanced around again, realization dawning. "Didn't this used to be Jubilee's room?" She asked, trying to break the silence.

"Yes."

"Where's she going?" Rogue was unsure to ask the question, unsure of how many changes were taking place in the mansion now.

"She's going to Kitty's old room, and Kitty has been moved to a larger one."

Rogue nodded, slightly relieved. "So, is Jubilee on the team yet?" She asked hesitantly, wondering if Storm was willing to discuss the X-Men just yet. "She was just so eager when I left."

"She's been on some missions, but she's…impulsive."

"What? Jubilee? That's not possible." Rogue said, feeling herself smile.

"She hasn't graduated yet, so until she does, we're keeping her on limited missions. I'll get you some…spare clothes. Be right back."

Rogue nodded as she smoothed the comforter. She had the strongest urge to ask about _her _status with the X-Men now. Would she be expected to join the team again--now that she had her powers back? She wanted to know, but at the same time she wanted to avoid the topic at all costs. She had barely dealt with her powers being back, would she really want to begin saving the world again? She had given up that life when she had chosen to take the cure. But now that the cure had failed…would she take that life back?

And how would all of her old friends react to her being back? Would they be happy to see her? Would they be bitter? Resentful? Would they accept her back?

Would they even get along anymore? She wasn't the same person anymore, she had changed. She was sure they had, as well.

Storm returned, carrying a small pile of clothes. "To sleep in, and for the next couple days." She explained, laying them on the bed. "There's a towel, too, if you want to take a shower. Bathroom's down the hall."

Rogue nodded.

"You should get some sleep, you look like you've had a rough time, honey." Storm said, her voice still comforting. She began to leave, but paused. "And, tomorrow, you should tell us what happened. We can't make sense of it unless you fill us in." She made eye contact with Rogue, forcing the younger girl to nod, pain filling her eyes.

"Good night, Rogue."

* * *

She was woken by someone knocking on her door. Groggily, she rolled out of bed and stumbled to the door to answer it, blinking when she saw Logan standing at the door.

It took her a moment to figure out why Logan was at her door, with a cardboard box in his hands. Then it hit her.

She wasn't in Savannah anymore. She was in New York. At the Mansion.

Because she had put someone in the hospital…again.

Because she was a mutant again.

Her powers had come back.

"You left these here." Logan said, holding up the box, which snapped her to the present.

"Oh." She said, taking the box, turning to place it on the bed. She opened the flaps to see a neatly-folded pile of clothing. "Oh." She repeated, reaching in and pulling out a single white glove. She suddenly felt very sick.

She held the one glove in both of her hands, not able to take her eyes off of it. "Ah never thought Ah'd have to put these on again." She murmured, more to herself than to Logan, but he grunted in response behind her. She snapped to attention and turned her head slightly, but didn't look at him. "Thanks, Logan." She murmured, her voice quiet.

He shifted, obviously uncomfortable. "Come on down when you're ready, ok, kid?" He said, closing the door behind him, while she nodded, distracted.

She frowned at the glove in her hands, and sniffed, forcing herself to get dressed. She combed through her hair, happy that it had dried since her shower last night. She pulled on one of Storm's spare, and long-sleeved, shirts. The black fabric contrasting sharply with the white gloves she had pulled on. Before leaving the room, she had rubbed her gloved hands together, her throat feeling tight and her stomach feeling nauseous. "Here we go again," she muttered, her voice grim.

As she made her way into the kitchen, she saw both Storm and Logan glance up at the sound of her bare feet padding on the floor. She took a seat across from them, staying silent as she sipped the cup of coffee that had been placed in front of her. They stayed silent as well, patiently waiting.

Finally, unable to take the strained silence anymore, she let out a long sigh, knowing she would have to re-live the events sooner or later. It might as well be now.

"Ah'm not really sure where t'start, so Ah guess Ah'll just start at the beginning…"


	3. Chapter 3

_A/N: I know, I know--this one took a long time...yet again. But it's the end of semester which means papers upon papers and finals, so it takes a little longer to actually update. Anyways, because it took so long I made this one extra long for you. Horray! _

* * *

"When Ah first got off the bus in Georgia, Ah knew it had been the right choice for me to go back south." Rogue began, her voice hesitant... 

She had taken a bus to Georgia once she had reached Alabama, and soon made her way to Savannah, feeling instantly comfortable in the large, southern city. She could tell that she wanted to stay there.

Almost immediately, she had grabbed an old newspaper and began searching through the advertisements. She needed a job, and quickly. She had spent too much of her own money trying to lose the trail of those Friends of Humanity freaks, so her funds were getting low. She had checked out a couple of the ads, to only find out they had already been filled by the afternoon.

She began to wander the streets, taking in the sights of the beautiful historic city while glancing in shop windows, desperately searching for "Help Wanted" signs. It took at least a good three hours, with her arm aching from her heavy duffle bag when she finally saw one.

She glanced up, over the shop's door. _Adieu Boutique. _She took a deep breath and entered the store, hearing a small bell chime as she opened the door.

A pretty blonde girl stood at the counter, a tabloid magazine laid out before her. She glanced up, smiling at the new customer. "Hi," She chirped, her accent so foreign to Rogue's ears. _I've been in the north too long,_ she figured. "How can Ah help ya?"

"Hello." She began awkwardly. "Ah'm here 'bout the sign in the window?" She let her accent slip back in, feeling so natural.

"Oh, you'll be wantin' to talk to Tilly 'bout that. Hang on, Ah'll get her."

Rogue nodded as the girl hopped to a spiral staircase located at the back of the store, rushing halfway up and murmuring something to someone who must have been up there. Rogue waited, her nerves on edge. She smoothed her hair as she waited, placing her bag on the floor.

Soon, the girl bounced back down, followed by an older woman. She was probably about thirty, with short pixie-style hair in light brown. She was wearing business-casual clothes, with some of the most pointed shoes Rogue had ever seen, and large earrings that only seemed to perfect the outfit.

"Hi, Ah'm Tillie, nice to meet you." The woman, began, reaching her hand forward. Rogue smiled as she reached her own forward, feeling a small leap in her belly as their skin touched. She hoped this feeling would never get old.

"Hello, Ah'm here about your sign?"

"Ok, an' what's your name, hon?" Tillie asked, chuckling.

"Oh--" Rogue stumbled. She couldn't use 'Kate'. If the Friends of Humanity men came down here, they'd be looking for that name. "Rebecca." She landed on, not sure where the name had come from. She still wasn't ready to use her own name.

"And did you just move here, or somethin'?" Tillie asked, eyeing the bag on the floor.

"Uh, yeah, actually," Rogue chuckled, glancing awkwardly at the bag. "Just arrived."

Tillie nodded, eying the younger girl before stepping back. "Well, come up to muh office, and we'll talk. Lexi here'll watch your bag for ya, alright?"

Rogue glanced at the blonde, who smiled and waved. "Uh, yeah, sure." Rogue said, frowning slightly. She wasn't sure if she wanted to leave her bag alone with a stranger, but fought her usual feelings. This was a new life. No one here knew that she used to be a mutant.

She followed Tilly and went up the spiral staircase to a small office at the top. It was decorated in such a way that Rogue began to take a strange liking to Tilly, just by her office. There were scarves thrown over the lampshades, and strange art decorating the walls, while it was incredibly neat, yet messy at the same time. She sat as was instructed and was surprised at Tilly's first comment.

"So, what's your _real _name?"

"Uh--"

"It's ok, hon," Tilly continued. "Ah jus' want to be clear here. If you're gonna work for me, you need to be straight with me."

Rogue blinked, trying to keep her face blank. She took a moment, figuring out what to say. She swallowed, looking Tillie in the eye. "Mah name's Anna," She said, making her face appear hard. "Ah'm runnin' from muh ex. He din' really approve me wantin' tah leave. He even made sure to hurt my ankle for me a couple weeks back, to try to make me stay." She thickened her accent. "Ah've been travelin' up'n' down the east coast, tryin' to lose 'im. This is the first time Ah think Ah actually have. So, Ah decided to use a fake name. Ah don't want him to find me." She kept her face hard, as if she were accustomed to this type of lifestyle. And, after all, not _all_ of it was a lie.

Tillie nodded, taking a moment to answer. "Ah can tell you're still not telling' me yer name." Rogue blinked, again, but worked to keep her face blank at this. "Someone as unique as you, hon, is gonna have a more interesting name than 'Rebecca', or 'Anna'." She paused, eyeing Rogue's hair. "But Ah can understand, you runnin' from yer ex an' all."

Rogue decided she liked this no-nonsense woman and nodded once. She took a deep breath, becoming hopeful.

"Ah take it ya don't have a place to stay right now, either?" Tilly continued, her eyebrow arched. Rogue nodded. "There's a small apartment on the other top half of this building. Ah can rent it to ya for cheap, if ya like."

Rogue's chest swelled, but she made herself calm down. "Ah don' have a lot of money," she began. "Ah spent most of it trying to keep my trail clean."

Tillie nodded, her eyes calculating. "Tell you what. You work for me for half pay for a month or two, and Ah'll let you stay in the apartment for free. After the firs' couple months, we'll talk again."

"Really?" Rogue asked, fighting to keep her jaw from dropping. Tille nodded, her eyes direct, and Rogue nodded. She didn't care what the catch was, this was too good to be true. "Yes. Yes, Ah'll take it."

"Good." Tillie stood and led her back down to the store, immediately showing her the small apartment, taking Rogue to the doorway on the side of the building. She threw her bag on the already-made bed and followed Tillie back down to the store, her new keys in hand.

"Lexie, this is Rebecca," Tillie said, eyeing Rogue as she said her alias name. "You're new coworker." Lexie smiled, obviously excited. Tillie showed her around the small store, dressing rooms, a fridge where food could be kept for breaks, the safe, and the back room where storage was kept. "Now, you can take your pick of three outfits now, and you'll have some time to freshen up. You start at six. Lexie'll start training you right away. Glad to have you aboard."

With that, she had turned and marched back up the spiral staircase to her office, leaving Rogue staring open-mouthed in the middle of the store. Lexi chuckled as she came up next to her. "She seems like a hard ass, Ah know. But Tilly's a softie at heart. Somethin' must happened to you that made her wan' to help you." Rogue glanced at the girl quickly before pulling her eyes away and glancing around the store. Lexie laughed. "Don't worry, you don' need to tell me. The fact that Tilly trusts you is enough for me. Come on, let's get you some clothes to work in."

The next hour and a half consisted of Rogue following the young, chipper girl through the store, taking the clothes that were thrown at her, as well as a couple of accessories and a pair of shoes, then rushing up to her apartment and showering as fast as possible. She got dressed and put on her first outfit, sliding her new earrings into her ears and brushing her hair. She hurriedly swiped some makeup onto her face, trying to make herself look as presentable as possible.

When she got back down to the store, she began work right away, following Lexie around and absorbing all the information that was hurled at her. It wasn't really that difficult of a job, and Lexie filled her in on all the gossip about her new boss as they walked around.

"Tillie knows everyone. An' when Ah say everyone, Ah mean _everyone._ You are gonna meet so many people." Lexie chirped, folding some shirts. "An' she is really good with her employees. She really doesn't even need to own this shop. She comes from old money here, so this is just a hobby of hers. If you put in long hours, you get tons of discounts on all the stuff in here, which is great, because you can wear 'em to work and outside of work." She eyed Rogue. "An', since you'll be in that apartment, Ah'm thinking' she's gonna give you a lot of slack on rent. Tillie tends to favor people in need." Lexie nodded, but caught herself. "Don't worry, Ah'm not judging' you or nothing', Ah know from experience. Why d'ya think _Ah _work here?"

The girl could talk a mile a minute, and Rogue could barely keep up, but she didn't care. She had a job. A fairly _good _job, and an apartment. And, if she wasn't mistaken, a couple of new friends.

* * *

After the first three months, Rogue had become quite accustomed to her life in the south. She worked full-time at Tilly's shop, making sure to put in her hours to ensure she would stay on Tillie's good side, and in order to keep the apartment. Tillie had refused to discuss rent payment after the first two months, deciding to give it another month, yet also deciding to bump Rogue's pay up to the regular amount. 

Rogue knew that the woman was just trying to help her get back on her feet, and had a tender spot in her heart growing already for her new boss. Tillie would go out of her way to make sure that Rogue had everything she needed. She was given enormous discounts on the clothing in the boutique and if there were damaged products, her and Lexie got free range to take what they wanted.

At least once a week, Tillie would have both Rogue and Lexie over for dinner, making them what she called "a good southern dinner" and using this time to keep tabs on them. Rogue could tell from the first couple weeks that Lexie and Tillie had a special bond, having known each other for years.

Apparently, Tillie had helped Lexie and her older sister stay on their feet after the death of their parents five years before. Tillie gave Lexie's sister a place to work while she studied education and they both stayed at Tillie's house until they could live on their own. Now Lexie lived with her sister and brother-in-law, both teachers at a local elementary school.

"She's practically my second mother," Lexie had added, at the first dinner, nudging Tillie's arm, smiling. "She took care of my sister an' me for so many years, there's no way we could repay her."

Tillie smiled back at the young girl, her eyes full of tenderness and Rogue was suddenly reminded of Logan, feeling a deep pang in her heart. She forced herself to smile through the sharp pain and smiled at the two in front of her.

She also become quite close to her coworker Lexie through the first few weeks. Lexie was 18 and a freshman studying fashion in the city, taking only a few classes a semester.

"It'll take me till Ah'm about 30 to finish, but Ah'll graduate." The girl said, laughing. "And with you helping' out here this summer, Ah can load up on some more classes."

The younger girl forced Rogue to open up, her constant chattering and easy friendship making Rogue comfortable from the beginning, and they often hung out after work. Lexie helped to show Rogue a different kind of adolescence that she had never been able to experience. She had never been able to simply go out for a cup of coffee, have movie nights, go dancing, sneak into bars or go to college house parties.

She had lived on the road for almost a year, moving into the Mansion at about 16. And life there had led her down a different path, making her an X-Man at only 17 years old and working to save the world by the time she was 18. She had accepted the idea that, with her mutation, college could never be an option. Especially since she had worked so hard to try to cover up her former life, so she wasn't ready to try to enroll herself at a college, where her social security number and other important information would be needed.

When Lexie and Tillie asked questions about her former life, she tried to keep the information to the minimum. She was an orphan, "Like Lexie," she had lied, and had been forced to live on her own for a few years. Tillie had kept quiet about Rogue's "abusive ex" story and both women accepted that Rogue wasn't going to share too much information. _Seems to happen no matter where Ah go, _Rogue figured, _Ah always clam up about mah past. _

But both women had no problem to accept her as she was and Rogue became quite comfortable with both women, soon becoming comfortable with herself and with her body. She began to stop shying away from people, not hesitant to touch or get to know a stranger.

It became easier for her to push the memories of her old life, of her friends at the Mansion to the back of her mind and focus on the present. _This is a new life, _she would remind herself. _And Ah intend to actually live it_…

"Ah had no idea that this kind of thinking is what would lead me to the situation Ah was in when my powers returned, though." She said regretfully to Logan and Storm now, taking a deep breath before continuing her story.

* * *

Rogue laughed as she sipped her drink, trying to hide her grimace at the harsh taste that burned her throat. She had never really drank at the Mansion, and, considering she was still technically underage, she had never been able to develop a taste for alcohol. 

But this was the drink she had been given--for free--so she was going to drink it. She took another sip, cringing, and felt the warmth from whatever alcohol was in her drink begin to take affect.

"Becks! How you doin'?" Rogue turned her head to her left, smiling at Lexie next to her.

"Great!" She answered, trying to be heard over the blasting music of the bar. "Thanks for the drink!"

"No problem," the younger girl yelled back, "I swiped my sister's ID!" Lexi took a deep gulp from her own drink and swayed her hips to the music. "Come on, let's dance!" She took hold of Rogue's hand and pulled her into the mass of people crowded onto the dance floor, ignoring Rogue's weak protests.

As little experience that she had with drinking, she had even less with dancing. Especially dancing in public. She took a deep gulp of her drink, awkwardly trying to imitate her friend's body movements.

An hour later, she was on her third drink and dancing quite freely. She wasn't sure where Lexi had disappeared to, but she figured it was with a certain guy who she had been dancing with quite a lot earlier. She was pretty sure they had moved off to a dark corner somewhere. She smiled to herself, though. Lexi was always on the lookout for her new boyfriend and was sure that he was going to be a mysterious man in a darkened corner.

Rogue chuckled to herself quietly as she continued dancing, noticing dimly through her alcohol-induced haze that someone had come up behind her, moving along with her body to the music. She grinned, content to have attention and kept dancing.

After a moment she moved her head slightly, trying to glance nonchalantly back at whoever her new dance partner was. She managed to see a strong jaw line, covered in stubble, with long strands of silky brown hair falling in his face. He wore dark glasses, which seemed odd since they were in a darkened nightclub, but the alcohol in her system made it easy to disregard this piece of information.

He noticed her glance back and grinned down at her, his mouth curving into a sexy half smile that made her draw in a quiet breath. She had the dimmest sense of regret at not being able to see his eyes. She turned her head back around, letting herself listen to the music.

Her partner placed his hand on her hip as they swayed together and she had the strongest urge to turn again and press her lips to his--to kiss a complete stranger! She reveled in this feeling, this idea that would never have occurred to her before and she also reveled in the fact that she _could _fulfill this urge if she so wanted.

After a few moments, she had almost worked up the nerve to follow through when the song abruptly ended and another began, a faster song now. The pace of their movements had to change to match the new beat and Rogue frowned slightly, knowing the moment had passed. As they swayed to the new music, he placed a hand further up, on her waist and leaned forward, his lips next to her ear.

"Been fun, _chere_." He said, his voice deep and husky, with that familiar southern accent that made her spine tingle. "But I mus' be goin' now." He placed the smallest of kisses on the tender spot below her ear and she felt herself shiver before feeling the heat from his body leave her back. She blinked and turned, confused.

He had vanished. She couldn't place him in the crowd at all. Frowning, she touched the still-tingling spot that he had kissed and felt a strange sense of regret at his leaving.

As she stood in the middle of the dance floor, yet another song had started and a large man crashed into her, overeager in his dancing. She stumbled, dropping her drink and turned towards the bulky man. "Hey!"

He turned to her with distaste. "Whut?" He grunted.

"You spilled mah drink!" She shot back, placing her hands on her hips.

"Yeah, whatever. Leave me alone, skunk."

She felt her jaw drop and stepped forward, ready to…to…teach him a lesson, but was stopped as someone moved between her and the other man.

"Hey, that's no way to speak to a lady." The newcomer snapped, staring the bulky man down.

"Alright, alright, buddy." The bully sighed, exasperated. He sized her rescuer up quickly before leaning around him and glancing around Rogue. "Sorry, hon." He quipped, turning around and continuing his dance.

Her rescuer turned toward her, shrugging. "Sorry, darlin', Ah just hate it when y'all aren't given any respect." He shouted at her, trying to be heard over the music, leading her towards the bar. "Come on, Ah'll buy you a new drink!"

She glanced up at him, noticing his clean shaven face and close-cropped blonde hair, before she smiled up at him. A small part of her, though, felt upset knowing that it wasn't the mystery man from the dance floor.

"Ah'm Brian."

"Ro--" She paused, catching herself. "Rebecca."

She tried to push the image of her mystery dance partner out of her mind, or at least, the little image she had of her mystery dance partner, and forced herself to smile up at this Brian. He was a university student, studying music education, hoping to work with young kids. She was deep in discussion with him when she heard a familiar voice calling her name.

"Becks!"

She turned to find a tipsy Lexie stumbling up to her, a big smile on her face. "Hey who's this?" She teased, glancing at Brian before throwing a not-so-hidden grin at Rogue. _He's cute!_ She mouthed at her older friend, grabbing Rogue's arm for balance.

Brian raised his eyebrows and laughed, trying to stifle it by scratching at his chin. Rogue smiled, feeling her own haze begin to fade. "Lexie, this is Brian. Brain, Lexie." She took hold of Lexie's arm, steadying the girl. "Where'd your friend go?"

"Oh, well, his girlfriend he didn't inform me about didn't really like me tryin' to kiss 'im." Lexi said, slurring slightly. "So, Ah left 'im somewhere." Rogue nodded, eyeing Brian.

"Ah think it's time to get her home." She said, holding back her laughter. "We have to work tomorrow."

"Hey, so if Ah, uh, wanted to hang out sometime, how could Ah reach you?" He asked, halting her.

"The _Adieu Boutique_," Lexie answered quickly, yanking on Rogue's arm to keep her quiet. "On seventh street. Come by anytime!" She pulled Rogue along, giggling. "Oh, hush, you're a hermit! You need to live a lil'!" She shushed Rogue as they moved along.

Rogue smiled as she glanced back to the bar, seeing Brian smile and wave as they exited. She was still smiling as she ushered Lexi into a taxi. On the ride home, Lexi was rambling the story of her night to her friend, the only interruption occurring at the end of the taxi ride. Rogue had dug into her front pocket, frowning in confusion.

"Ah swear Ah had money in here." She murmured, annoyed.

"Here." Lexi had said, tossing some bills in the front seat. "Ah gotcha covered, Becky-poo." She said, giggling as she stumbled out of the cab. Rogue smiled, then roller her eyes as she tugged the younger girl up the stairs to her apartment. "Come on, Lex, you're gonna stay here tonight, alright?"

"So," Lexi said, not paying attention to Rogue as she slumped onto the bed. "That boy you were talking to was pretty cute."

Rogue grinned. "Yeah, Ah guess."

"It's about time you met someone." Lexi yawned, snuggling into Rogue's blankets.

"Yeah, Ah guess it is." She murmured in response. _Who knows, _she figured, still grinning, _it could turn out ok._

* * *

A shadowed figure chuckled as he pushed himself away from the brick wall outside the club, stuffing a wad of freshly-counted bills into his pocket. He flicked his cigarette to the ground, rubbing his bristled chin as he walked away. 

He had cleaned out pretty well tonight, just by dancing with some pretty girls. He smirked. _Perhaps 'dis is a new business I should stick to_, he thought, sliding his sunglasses off and rubbing the bridge of his nose. Good haul or not, it had been a long day and he was not looking forward to tomorrow.

His red pupils glowed in the black night as he sauntered down the street. He ran a hand through his chestnut hair, recalling one particular girl from the club he would have liked to get to know better.

She had been well-figured, not stick-thin like so many girls were today, filled out in just the right places. And her striking green eyes had done something to unhinge his center. She had glanced back at him, her eyes staring into his through the dark glasses he had been wearing, and he had felt time freeze around them in that moment.

There had been something about that girl that had struck a chord in him, and he regretted having to leave so early. Perhaps it had been the interesting white stripes that framed her face. It wasn't every day you saw hair like that. More than anything, he had wanted to stick around, perhaps to see what she might be like alone…

_Ah, non, _he groaned to himself, _not tonight, though. _Remy LeBeau had work to do.

So he had slipped the cash from her front pocket, his lips tingling from pressing against the soft skin of her neck, and had moved on.

Later, as he was slipping out of the coat check room, more cash and valuables stored in his pockets, he had noticed her standing at the bar, talking to a tall, clean cut guy. A blonde. Remy had had the strongest urge to punch him. But he had walked on, his jaw clenched. Tonight was not the night. He had too much to do tomorrow, with--

Suddenly, there was a figure on the street, his body shadowed as he stood under the streetlight. Remy slowed, his eyes narrowing as he glanced around, noticing another figure in the shadows nearby. Only two, then, he figured, stopping completely. After he stood motionless for a moment, in silence, he rolled his eyes and let out a sigh.

"Y'know, I've had a very long day an' I don' really have a lot o' patience. So why don' ya jus' tell me what it is y'all want." He said, sounding exasperated, but he slipped his hand into his coat pocket, preparing himself for action.

There was a quiet chuckle from the figure under the light as he stepped forward, and Remy was able to get a good look at him. He was wearing a cape. It was an old man in a cape. And he was carrying a helmet. _Did I walk in on a costume party?_ He wondered, holding back a snicker.

"I've been watching you for some time, _Gambit, _and I have a proposition for you."

"An' what kind would dat be?" Remy asked warily, his eyes narrowed. How did this man know of his alias?

"A very…rewarding one."

Remy took a moment to answer, cocking his eyebrow. Idly, he slipped his hand out of his pocket, a deck of cards now cradled in his palm. He began to shuffle them as he took a step forward, his red pupils glowing against his black eyes, calculating as he studied the man in front of him.

"I'm listenin'."

* * *

_Because I have so much work, it will probably be a couple weeks until I can update again, but I'll be on break then so I'll have MUCH more time then. Please be patient!_

_Oh, p.s. I'm a yankee through and through, so southern accents are practically a foreign language to me--I'll take any help with how to write them, etc. Thanks!_


	4. Chapter 4

_A/N: I know it's been a while, but I am so relieved to be done with the semester and, after all, I did warn you all. Anyways, here you go! As always, let me know what you think, I do enjoy it so!_

* * *

The bell above the door rang from the front of the store and Rogue could hear Lexi chirp a hello to the entering customer as Rogue folded a shirt near the back. She didn't bother turning around, not feeling up to being the chirpy employee today. Her date last night had ended badly, and it hadn't put her in a good mood this morning.

She frowned as she glanced at the new shirt she picked up, hearing the news section come on the radio.

"Mutant Registration Act reintroduced." The announcer's voice said, freezing Rogue in her spot. "The former Governor Creed has helped push this controversial issue and urge its passing during the last months."

Her eyes widened and she forced herself to stay still.

"Creed left his role as Governor early, pulling out of office after only a short year, and has now entered the race for the upcoming presidential election."

She drew in her breath sharply. How had she missed this? Had she really been so distracted that she had been ignoring all the news? When had Creed even been elected to Governor?

"The hopeful Creed has had a surprising response from the American public, receiving an unexpected 60 support rate and adopting a controversial and forceful anti-mutant platform."

Victor Creed's all-too-familiar voice came over the radio now. "Do we want another Jean Grey Incident?" He cried, the crowd roaring behind him, causing Rogue's stomach to clench as she heard the familiar mutant name. "It is time we recognize those around us who are, and always have been, a threat to us!" He shouted. "For too long have we tolerated this…mutant problem. It is time we take a stand and find out who they are, for our protection and for _their _protection! We must act and act now!" The crowd roared below him as Rogue felt her throat constrict, taking deep breaths as she gripped the shirt in her hands.

She blinked, her body hot and frozen at the same time when she noticed the customer who had come in standing across from her. The woman was frozen in the same position as her--body tense, head cocked to one side, eyes averted as she heard the same news report.

She swallowed, straightening and struggled to wipe her face of her feelings. "C-Can Ah help you, ma'am?" She asked, her voice hoarse. She forced herself to push aside the feeling she noticed in the back of her mind. _Acting just like me at the news report…_She pushed it away quickly, trying to focus and act normal.

The tall woman snapped to attention, her own face becoming blank as well, as if she were trying to ignore the news report as well. As she straightened, her eyes landed on Rogue in front of her, and her eyes went wide and her mouth opened slightly, as if in shock. After the slightest of waves of emotions passed over her face--surprise, shock, then anxiety--it settled on a cool, calculated calm.

"Yes," Her voice was deep and confident. "I'm in town for a business meeting and the airline lost my baggage." She took a step toward the pile of folded shirts. "I'm in need of some office attire." She glanced up at Rogue, her eyes shadowed by her dark lashes.

Rogue swallowed again, trying to calm her fluttering stomach, trying to push away the old familiar feeling of recognition of another mutant, and also trying to push away the feeling of familiarity at this woman in particular. "Yes, of course, ma'am. We…uh, we have some wonderful new things right over here…" She brushed a hand over her cheek, trying to bring herself to her senses as she led the woman to a rack along the wall.

"Here you go, ma'am." She said, forcing herself to smile, but it faltered when she turned to see the woman studying her again, her short black hair brushing her shoulders as she tilted her head. Her face was inquisitive, her brow furrowed, as if she were trying to figure out an equation. The woman snapped to attention once again, looking decisive as she flashed a smile.

"Um…do you need anything else Miss…?" Rogue asked, feeling awkward and wanting to step away as soon as she could. She wasn't sure if she wanted to know who this woman was, she was acting so strange. As if she knew Rogue…from before.

"Darkholme." The woman said, her face almost challenging. "Raven Darkholme. I'm in town for a computer information conference." Rogue felt herself frown at the strange actions, and the information, feeling as if she was supposed to recognize this name, as well as the job. She forced herself to calm down and smiled apprehensively.

"Miss Darkholme." She repeated. "So, uh, you can find your sizes and whatever designs you like right here. Let me know if you need anythin." She forced herself to smile again and walked as quickly as she could to the cash register, throwing an eye to Lexie as she slipped in next to the younger girl. "Why do Ah always get the crazy ones?" She asked, trying to keep her voice light as she threw another glance back at the woman. _How do Ah know her?_

Lexie chuckled. "Ah do not know, Becks." She turned the page of the magazine, sliding a coy look to Rogue out of the corner of her eye. "So…how're things with Brian?"

"What?" A distracted Rogue glanced over in confusion, dragging her eyes away from the woman on the store floor. "Oh, um. Fine. Great. We're going for coffee tomorrow."

"That's great, hon. Does that mean he apologized for last night?"

"He called about an hour ago," Rogue answered, feeling tense. "We'll see what happens tomorrow, I guess."

"I'm sure things'll work out." Lexi turned another page, studying the celebrities spread out before her. "You've been here what, six months now? And you've already landed a guy?"

"Um, yeah. Surprising, I know." She forced a laugh, swallowing hard. "So…what else did the news say?" She asked tentatively, trying to keep her voice at the same tone.

"'Bout what?"

"About Governor Creed. And the whole mutant…um…thing." She said, hesitantly.

"Oh, Ah'm not sure." Lexie murmured, studying the modeling photograph in her magazine. "Ah don't pay much attention to politics, hon."

"Right." Rogue said, still feeling the butterflies in her stomach. She glanced away, her face worried as flashes of her old friends ran through her mind. Logan, Kitty, Bobby…what would happen to them now? She had the strongest urge to call the Mansion, but fought against it. Would the government begin to track telephone calls now? Would they begin to take action through Creed's Friends of Humanity organization to begin to keep the distance between mutants and humans?

Rogue shook her head, trying to rid her mind of all her crazed thoughts. There was no guarantee that Creed would win, or that the Registration Act would even pass. It had been tried before and had fallen through.

…But only because the real Senator who had supported the Act had died. And a mutant had taken his place. A mutant who could change her appearance, and even her voice…

"Is this all you'll be needin', ma'am?"

Lexie's cheery voice snapped Rogue out of her reverie and she blinked to see Miss Darkholme standing at the counter, a pile of clothes laid out before Lexie. How long had she been lost in thought?

"Yes, this is all." The dark-haired woman replied, her chin held high as she stood in front of the counter. She glanced at Rogue, again a strange look coming to her face. "Is that hair…natural?" She asked, her face suddenly becoming a blank canvas, while it looked like her eyes held some dark secret.

"Yes, actually." Rogue answered, feeling uncomfortable as she touched a short bang near her face. "It's just mah hair."

"Hmm." The woman glanced down at her pile of clothes, her eyes sweeping up to study Rogue's outfit, sliding past the bracelet on her wrist. As Lexie handed over her receipt, the woman stuck her hand out, making Rogue and Lexie start.

"Thank you so much for your help." She said, her face again blank. "It was so nice to meet you."

Rogue felt her brow furrow in the slightest of frowns as she glanced at the woman. "Well, thank you." Lexie answered, her regular cheery voice sounding odd against Miss Raven Darkholme's chilled and eerie voice. Lexie shook the woman's hand, her voice not showing a bit of how strange she thought this woman was.

As Lexie's hand lifted away from hers, Miss Darkholme's eyes shifted to Rogue's as she moved her hand slightly towards the left. Her hand was suspended in air, waiting, almost challenging.

"Um, same to you, Miss Darkholme." She said slowly as she reached forward, noticing the woman staring intently at Rogue's hand as it reached towards hers, as if she were expecting something momentous to happen.

Nothing.

Miss Darkholme unclenched her jaw, cleared her throat and released Rogue's hand, a confident smile coming to her face as Rogue felt her heart begin to beat furiously in her chest.

She knew. This woman, whoever she was, knew of Rogue…and her powers.

"Goodbye." The woman said, rubbing the hand she had just used to shake hands and taking hold of the bag to rush out the door. Rogue forced herself to keep herself calm. She couldn't let Lexie know she was worried about anything.

Lexie shook her head, staring after the departed customer. "What in the world was that all about?"

But Rogue still had a worried look on her face as she stared out the door, taking a moment to glance down at her own hand before she answered, feeling her stomach churn. "Ah think maybe Ah know her." She said, still frowning.

"From where?" Lexie asked in surprise.

"Ah have no idea." Rogue murmured, her voice quiet and worried. She took a deep breath, trying to calm her churning stomach. It wouldn't matter anyways…she wasn't even a mutant anymore. She would be fine.

* * *

Rogue laughed as she slid out of Brian's sleek white convertible. She slammed the door shut and circled around to the front of the car and smiled up at him as she reached forward to slide her hand into his. At the first glance of her skin against his, she felt a small, yet sharp, spark shoot through her fingers and up her arm, causing her to yank her arm back. 

Brian jerked, smiling in surprise down at her as he rubbed his hand quickly. "Woah." He laughed. "Static electricity from the car, huh?" He moved his hand back towards her and reached out for hand again. Nervously, she eyed him, still gripping her hand. She blinked, taking a deep breath as she waited.

No memories. No extra energy. No new knowledge.

She sighed after a moment, forcing her shoulders to relax and reach her hand towards him again. She lifted her eyes toward his as their fingers linked, skin touching skin.

Nothing happened.

She felt her heart lighten as she smiled, her nervousness ebbing and walking with him into the club. _You are such an idiot, girl. _She told herself, holding back an embarrassed chuckle. _Ah can't believe that thought even crossed mah mind! _

She pushed her hair back from her face, slightly annoyed how her white bangs were constantly falling in her eyes with her new haircut. She was used to keeping it all one length, and this new style had the white parts of her hair framing her face, and constantly getting in the way.

"Do you remember when we first met?" She heard him call over the loud music, glancing back at her with a smile on his face.

"Yes." She said, laughing. "Ah was…a little drunk."

"Well, that was six months ago." He said, his brown eyes sparkling down at her.

"It was?" She smiled, thinking how sweet it was of him to remember. "So that's why you wanted to take me to this new bar tonight? To celebrate?"

He nodded. "All Ah can remember is savin' you from that guy on the dance floor." He pulled her onto the dance floor. "Ah just figured it was time Ah show you how to _really _dance." He joked, pulling her close to him as they instantly began to move to the beat of the music.

She didn't respond, simply smiling up at him. This was perfect. She didn't know if she and Brian would last, if they were 'meant to be' but they were both so young that she wasn't worried about the future. She didn't have to worry too much at all anymore. She had a new life that was meant to be lived, and she felt happiness swell in her chest for a moment before an image of Logan slipped into her mind, and her happiness faltered.

With the news reports that she had been seeing in the past couple of weeks, following that first one she had seen six months ago, she'd been feeling fear, anger, frustration at the nation for their choices, and worry for her friends in New York. For her old family.

Instantly, she felt guilty for her thoughts of her own freedom and her lack of worry. The people she had once been so close with were probably worried every day, not knowing what the future would bring. Just as she had once when she was younger.

She had tried to push the thoughts out of her mind, but now they flourished, filling her chest with worry…

The Registration Act grew more active every day, with reports of harsh police actions against unregistered mutants and harsh action against humans who were helping to hide them.

Creed was gaining more and more popularity, his chances of becoming president in just a short while seeming more and more possible every day. The election would be held in only a few weeks, and it seemed as if every mutant in the nation knew what the outcome would be.

And now her fears of the political situation were making her imagine things about her powers coming back.

"Hey," Brian said, as quietly as he could over the loud music. "You alright?"

She cleared her throat and forced a smile, raising her chin as she came out of her thoughts. "Yeah. Yeah, of course." What in the world had made Logan enter her mind? With effort, she tried to push her worries and her guilt away. This was supposed to be a happy night. She should at least try to relax.

With the smallest of frowns, he studied her for a moment before leaning every so slightly towards her. She knew what he meant to do and felt a small smile tugging at the corner of her lip at the sweet gesture to make her feel better. She lifted her face and let her eyes close as his lips brushed hers.

And she felt a spark run through her, filling her with heat while simultaneously chilling her to the bone.

"_Brian! Brian, don't run so fast, I can't keep up!"_

_A small brown-haired boy chasing a taller blonde one, laughing as he pumped his arms while his older cousin laughed over his shoulder back at the younger boy. _

"_Come on, what are ya? A _girl_?"_

Rogue's eyes flew open and she jumped back, jerking away from Brian. It had happened so fast, so quick, that she wasn't even sure of what she had seen. Her eyes were wide and she clenched her hands as Brian opened his eyes and looked at her confused.

_He didn't even feel anything, _she realized, staring at him. _He doesn't even know what jus' happened! _And, at the same time, asking herself : _Why? How?! _She was full of heat, warmed by the energy from his body, yet the sensation of absorption had made her feel frozen. Both from the recognition and the familiarity of it. How in the world had--

"Becky?" He asked, stepping forward, "What's wrong, darlin'?" He reached his hand forward, and, still frozen in shock, or just so un-used to shying away from contact anymore, she didn't move away fast enough. His hand grazed her bare arm, trying to rub her in reassurance, and she jumped as he touched her again, gasping as information flooded into her.

_A big white house with red shudders. A tire swing hanging from the tree._

_Playing tag with his younger cousin, Robbie, chasing him all over the yard. Playing baseball and soccer as they grew older. Starting new years at school, and bragging about his first kiss behind the tree during lunch. _

"_What was it like?" Robbie had asked, his young eyes wide. _

"_Eh, alright." He shrugged. "You'll see when you're old enough."_

Rogue managed to push herself away, fear and confusion flowing through her as she tried to rush away. "Oh my God." She whispered, her breath ragged. She felt everything. Brian's deep affection for his cousin, as if they were brothers; his excitement and lust after his first kiss and his hopes to do it again and again and again…

She shook her head as she tried to move away, placing her hands on her temples, gripping her hair, as she tried to block the memories. _No. No! _She thought, feeling tears begin to surface.

"Becky?" Brain was sounded alarmed now, stepping towards her again and she jerked away, trying to hide her face. _What's going on?! How?!_ She screamed inside her head, trying to push the memories away. She could still feel them, swirling around inside her head--a big jumbled mess and she wasn't sure which memories were hers and which ones were Brian's. _How is this happening again?! _

"I--I have to go." She choked out, her throat constricted and her heart beating painfully in her chest. Pushing through the crowd, she began to feel the panic swell up inside of her, making her stumble.

"Becky, wait…" Brian called, following her, touching his head lightly. She knew he was feeling lightheaded and didn't understand why. She let out a small sob as she tried to move faster. "No. No." She moaned, feeling the tears begin to escape her eyes. But the crowd was too big, too many people blocking her way.

Even slightly weakened, he was still faster and stronger than her and managed to catch up to her, grabbing her arm again and spinning her around to face him, as her eyes widened once again…

_A graveyard, a funeral. For Robbie. Car accident._

_There was a deep sadness in him that couldn't be filled. He placed a baseball by the headstone, standing in front of the slab of granite. _

_Going to school, graduating. Going to college. _

_Mom and Dad's divorce. Mom's remarriage. Dad's depression. _

_Every year, going to visit Robbie and feeling that same emptiness._

…Brian's eyes had widened this time as well, as he began to feel the pull from her skin under his hand. As every piece of energy within his body began to drain out of him, his skin paled and the veins began to stand out on his face.

Rogue felt all this, because Brian felt all this. And as she managed to bring herself back to her senses, so overwhelmed with his consciousness, she yanked her arm away, feeling the sobs escape her throat and feeling the tears running down her cheeks while Brian crumpled to the ground, convulsing.

She cried out, covering her mouth with her hands and slowly backing away. "No. Not again. Oh, please…" She sobbed, shaking her head.

The crowd began to separate and gasp in shock, letting out cries. Rogue stood over the body on the ground, her own body shaking in shock and fear, eyes wide as she stared. "Brain!" She managed to call through the tears building in her eyes. She began to rub her tingling hands, rubbing the arm he had grabbed. "He, he needs help." She said, her voice strained. "Someone call the ambulance!" She spoke louder, looking in astonishment at the crowd. "Help him!" She cried, finally seeing someone move.

Some people began to move, trying to help, and others eyed her. "What happened?" She heard over and over and saw various people being to step towards her. "Honey, what happened?" She heard and saw a hand reaching out towards her.

"No, don't touch me!" She shrieked, her voice full of tears. The woman backed away, frightened, and Rogue spun, panic overtaking over. _They're going to know now. Everyone will know! And they're going to come for you…just like last time. _With her crazed thoughts racing through her mind, mixing with the flashes of memories she was still trying to decipher, she rushed out of the nightclub, rushing into the shadows as she saw the red and blue lights of the sirens come around the bend toward the nightclub behind her.

* * *

Tillie sat at the counter of her shop, folding some silk scarves that were in a disarray by the cash register. Humming quietly to herself, she would have missed the quiet sobbing that passed by the small window to her back if it weren't for the loud stomping sounds of someone running up the back stairs to the upstairs apartment. Tillie glanced behind her, brow furrowing. 

She wandered outside and up the stairs, trying to figure out what could have happened. _Prolly just a fight with that boy of hers again, _she figured, pushing open the front door that hadn't been closed all the way. _That girl starts more fights about some of the most ridiculous things…_

"Becky?" She called hesitantly. "Hon? What's goin' on?" She took a step into the room and gasped as she saw Becky's appearance.

The young girl was disheveled, her hair limp and ratty, her face smeared with makeup and tears, splotchy and swelling from crying. The bottoms of her jeans were wet, most likely from brushing against the wet sidewalk and bushes, while her shirt, a small party tank with thin straps, was smeared with dirt and ripped near the bottom. What in the hell had happened?

"T-Tille." She gasped, holding a towel to her arm, where Tillie saw a bleeding scratch.

"What happened?" She asked urgently, worry beginning to form. "Did he hurt you? Rebecca, did he force--" She took a step forward and halted when she saw the girl flinch and step to the side. Tillie frowned at the curious behavior, only getting more worried.

"No--no, of course not." She said, her voice shaking. "Um..." She glanced away for a moment, obviously fighting back tears. Tillie decided to wait, to see if the girl would let it out on her own. "He--he's in the hospital." A few tears spilled over and Rebecca fought the sob that was obviously rising in her throat.

"Who? Brain?"

At the answering nod, Tillie nodded as well. "Did someone hurt the both of you? Did you get robbed?"

"No." The young girl's face began to crumple and Tillie stepped forward again, consumed by worry. And again, Becky jumped, crying out. "No! Don't touch me!" More tears, now, and Tillie felt her stomach clench.

"Becky, what is it?" Tillie asked, almost in desperation, yet feeling herself getting nervous. "Why is Brian in the hospital?"

Rebecca was fighting her tears again, rubbing her arms and shaking her head. At Tillie's question, though, she paused, as if coming to a realization. She looked up, her face full of a mix of fear, confusion and realization. "Ah…Ah'm a mutant." She whispered, and her face crumpled as she said it. "Ah'm a mutant." She repeated, staring at her hands.

Instinctively, Tille took a step back. Rebecca noticed.

"Ah, Ah'm sorry. Ah meant to tell you!" She took a step forward, and Tillie had to fight herself to stay still.

"A…mutant?" She forced out, her throat suddenly dry. She'd seen the news reports, heard all the political issues. What would this mean for her?

Rebecca's dirty and tear-stained face was imploring. "Mah power's in my skin. If you touched my skin, you'd get hurt." She glanced at her hands again, pain etched on her face. "Ah don't understand…this shouldn't be happening. Ah was _normal_."

Tillie's heart was pounding in her chest and she swallowed, feeling her mouth dry up while a million thoughts ran through her head. "Honey, why--why don't you go wash up, get comfortable?" She took a tentative step forward. "Just go ahead into the bathroom, we can talk when you're ready, ok?" Even to her, her voice was unnaturally high, and she could feel her nervousness growing.

The younger girl glanced up in relief and wiped her cheek, smudging the line of makeup that ran down it. She looked confused and flabbergasted, glancing back and forth from the bathroom to the woman in front of her. She finally nodded, moving towards the door. "Ok." She whispered.

As soon as the girl was behind the door Tillie took a step backwards, then another. Turning, she quietly picked up the phone by the door and dialed.

"9-1-1 Emergency Response."

"Yes, yes." She whispered, glancing behind her, then turning back towards the phone receiver. "I have an unregistered mutant here."

"Ok, ma'am, is the mutant posing any threat to you currently?"

"She's dangerous. She said she put a boy in the hospital earlier tonight." Her heart was pounding. She had to end this. Quickly.

"Ok, ma'am, what's your address, we'll send a car over."

"2120 Willabough Lane…it's the--"

Suddenly, the floor creaked behind her and she spun, her eyes widening as she faced Rebecca. As the young girl's fingertips touched Tillie's cheek, her eyes fluttered closed and she crumpled.


	5. Chapter 5

_A/N: I know, I know, I know--I'm getting worse and worse! _But _this chapter is so much longer than usual, as a peace offering to my constant late updating--forgive me?_

* * *

"So Ah ran." Rogue said now, looking up from her clasped, and gloved, hands to meet Logan's eyes, the tears swimming in her own.

But they wouldn't fall. She wouldn't let them fall anymore.

Rogue studied her hands in front of her once again, her face unreadable. "Ah thought Ah could trust her." She said after a moment, her voice hollow. "She was special to me, Ah thought she was a real friend. After Ah finished washing my face, and turned off the water, Ah could hear her talkin' on the phone. Ah couldn't believe it. "

There was silence for a moment then she took a deep breath, looking imploringly into Logan's and Storm's faces. "Ah did what Ah had to do. She was turnin' me in! Ah did the only thing Ah could."

Because she looked like she was going to break down again, and because he understood, Logan placed a hand on her wrist. He felt the smooth fabric of her glove under his hand and looked into her eyes. "You did the right thing, kid. You had to get outta there."

"After--" She swallowed. "It took a minute, but Ah came to mah senses…repressed her memories and, um, feelings," Rogue felt Tilly's fear resurface now, Tilly's fear of _her. _With a small pause, she pushed them away. "Ah grabbed all the money Ah could find in mah room. Ah didn't have time to pack, to grab anything. The police were coming." She shrugged. "After that, Ah just ran. Ah hitchhiked, walked, paid for a short bus ride." She shivered, and Logan's eyes narrowed. She continued, her voice guarded. "Ah even managed to pay for a motel room a couple nights ago. But mostly, Ah walked."

"How long ago was this?"

"'Bout a week." She said quietly. "Ah had to travel mostly at night. Ah…Ah din' want to risk being seen by any cops."

Storm was silent, her jaw clenched and her eyes visibly showed her anger. "We're all scared by these new laws, Rogue. You're not the only one."

"But Ah'm unregistered." Her voice shook.

"So are more than half the mutants in this country." She answered, her voice curt. "Some of them within these walls. Don't forget, this school is meant to be a safe place."

Rogue nodded, trying to make herself calm down. They were right, this was a safe haven for mutants…even with the new laws. This was the best place for her to be right now. The only place. She took a sip of her now lukewarm coffee and took a moment to speak again, asking the question she'd been repeating to herself for almost a week now.

"How did this happen?" Her voice was bleak, empty. Even the squeeze Logan gave her gloved wrist had little effect on her now.

Storm sighed, "You know the cure came from using Jimmy's DNA, right? From his mutation?"

"Yeah." She glanced up. "He can suppress the mutant powers around him."

"Right." Storm caught her gaze, making direct eye contact. "But only to a certain extent."

Realization dawned, and her eyes widened. "It wore off." She murmured. "Just like his mutation does."

"Yeah, kid." Logan still had his hand on her wrist and she was glad for it now, the heat from his hands seeping into her now frozen skin.

"But…then are _all _the mutants who got the cure are going to…?" She tore her gaze away from Storm to lock eyes with Logan. "Magneto? All his followers?"

"We think Magneto's already building up a new force." Storm continued, her no-nonsense voice hardening. "There hasn't been a whole lot of action from him, but there have been some underground incidents that may have been done by his members."

"And he seems to be calling back some of his favorite ones." Logan grumbled. "There was a bank that was set on fire a couple weeks ago, after it was robbed by pulling the vault door off its hinges. And one of Creed's rallies was broken up by a mysterious fire."

Rogue felt her heart begin to pound. "Oh, God, it's going to be just like before, isn't it?" She could hear her own voice shaking.

"It's going to be worse." Storm said bluntly, exchanging a glance with Logan, as if sending him a message to do something.

"Wait, why haven't Ah heard anything 'bout this? Ah mean, Ah have been payin' attention to the news…"

"The media's covering it up," Logan answered, still locked in his silent debate with Storm, his mouth forming a hard line. "They're covering a lot of things up. There's been a lot of prison breaks in the past six months, all mutant-related."

"Why are you tellin' me all this?" She asked quietly.

"Because you're an adult now, Rogue." Logan answered after a moment as he broke the intense stare with Storm, succumbing to her silent order. His voice was quiet, soothing, to Storm's reality. "And we're going to need your help. Any help we can get now." Rogue glanced at him, understanding completely.

"You want me back on the team." Strangely she felt used, like a tool.

"Rogue." Storm pulled her attention away from Logan, her face full of sadness. "I'm sorry you had to be brought back into this."

"Yeah." Rogue said, her voice bitter. "Right." She pulled her wrist away from under Logan's protective one. "Ah bet you are." She stood, wrapping her arms around her middle. "Ah need to be alone, Ah'm goin' for a walk." She moved out of the kitchen, stepping towards the patio. She needed some air.

After she left, Logan threw a bland look to Storm. "Subtle."

"She needed to know." Storm answered, her voice curt. "And we need help. You know what's coming." With a meaningful look she straightened, sliding away from her seat.

* * *

Rogue stomped outside to the terrace overlooking the garden, her heart beating furiously in her chest. How dare they? How _dare _they? She was just a pawn, a tool to them to help them in their great mutant fight to save humanity. They didn't care about what she had been through. 

Rogue leaned against the railing, chilled from the cold Autumn air and from her thin shirt. As she stared into the bright afternoon light, the sun warm and shining as the breeze continued to blow, she wondered. How strange that only a short while ago, she had been living a normal life in Alabama. She had been dating a college student who was crazy about her, and had a fun and interesting life with her new friends.

And now…and now, she was a runaway mutant again. No money, no clothes, no real home. And, apparently, a member of the crime-fighting team of mutants. Again.

She knew it was ridiculous to think that Logan and Storm didn't care about what she'd been through…or at least ridiculous to think that Logan didn't care. She held back a rueful chuckle at the thought.

But it was her own fault for the way they had pretty much ordered her back onto the team. She hadn't told them everything…

Her stomach clenched as the images flashed through her mind, images she didn't want to remember.

_Overweight, greasy trucker._

_His eyes gleaming as she slipped into the passenger seat, his teeth flashing in the night light as he talked to her…a little too friendly. He gave her an old sweatshirt to wear, since she was cold._

_Pulling over. Him unbuckling his belt. _

_Even as she fought, she knew what he wanted, what he was going to do. The sweatshirt made it hard to touch his skin, it was so big, dragging over her hands as she struggled. _

_He didn't know what he was in for, and she knew he felt immense pain when it happened. __Just as she had. _

Shivering, she rubbed her arms and squeezed her eyes shut at the memories, at the feelings that swept through her--the thoughts that had run through his head--swallowing as she tried to suppress them. Logan and Storm weren't going to know about that…no one was.

And, she managed to get away, anyways, while gaining possession of his wallet, supplying the rest of the money she'd needed for the trip. They didn't have to know. Especially Logan.

As she leaned against the railing, the coldness in the stone seeping into her arms, she recalled the last time she had been on this balcony. When the Friends of Humanity had come to take her, leaving Bobby bloodied and unconscious over by the Professor's memorial, while Jubilee was being ambushed inside the Mansion.

Suddenly, there was a loud growl from underneath the balcony, sharp and full of warning, making her jump back, her hair falling in her eyes. Fear leapt into her chest, making her look around, trying to find the source of the noise.

As the growl faded, there was the distinct ring of laughter that echoed through the back garden and she noticed a figure rush through some tall bushes, followed by a sharp red light that flew through the air. Jumping again, she noticed there were a group of teenagers running around, laughing as red lights flew around them, small explosions singeing the bushes around them.

The growl came again and Rogue saw a blue blur rush out from under the balcony and topple into the group of students and before she could even make a sound, before she could even take a step forward, there was another ring of laughter and she took a step back as she remembered what Logan had told her.

Outdoor training excursion…or something. The whole school had gone camping, that was it. They must be returning…but she recalled Logan mentioning a few more days until they returned. The blue blur rushed back under the balcony and she heard him disappear. Unsure of what else to do, she wandered inside, her heart slowing down as she entered the kitchen again.

Logan and Storm were standing talking with the big, furry blue…thing. He was wearing spectacles and a sport jacket over his blue chest, while jeans were ripped and dirtied on his legs. She paused in the doorway, unsure who he was and if she was allowed to hear this conversation.

"Rogue," Storm said, her voice warm, as if excited to see her. _Trying to make up for before,_ she figured. "This is Hank McCoy," She gestured her to enter the room. "Do you remember the visit he made us a couple years ago?"

Rogue's mind opened up and she nodded, suddenly remembering. "Yes, of course Ah do." She stepped forward. "You're the one who told us 'bout the cure."

The blue beast let out a rueful chuckle, "Yes, back when I used to work for the government." His voice was surprisingly rich and smooth, full of intellect and character.

"Used to?" She asked, frowning.

"The new ahem, rules of order don't allow Mutants to hold positions with the American government anymore." He answered, the sarcasm ringing loud in his voice.

"Hank became the American Ambassador for the United Nations after the…Alcatraz Incident." Storm informed smoothly, her face full of meaning.

"They fired you?" Rogue asked.

"In a polite way," Mr. McCoy answered, smiling.

"But Creed hasn't even been elected yet." Rogue looked three around her, confused.

"Oh, he'll be president my dear." Mr. McCoy answered, his voice full of dark humor now, "It's been taken care of."

Rogue blinked, surprise running through her. He was speaking as if this were everyday news! "Wha--"

"_Excusez-moi, Monsieur _Fuzzy, but Ah do believe there is still de problem of de tent."

Rogue turned, surprised not just at a new voice interrupting the conversation, but a _southern _voice. As she turned her head, she felt her bangs fall into her eye again and brushed at them impatiently as she glanced at the new member of the conversation.

He was tall, that was the first thing she noticed. His head was far above hers, and she glanced up as he walked forward, his arms moving as he talked, the sleeves of his dark blue sweater pushed up to his elbows and the jeans he wore fitting snugly on his hips. Surprised at herself for how she was studying him, she pulled her vision upward. And had to check to make sure she was still breathing.

He was gorgeous. Tanned skin with ruddy, dark reddish-brown hair falling into his eyes. And what eyes…

They were black with red pupils. The strangest eyes she had ever seen, and the most captivating.

As Rogue studied him, appreciating a good-looking male, an image of Brian flashed into her brain and a shot of guilt flashed into her heart, making Rogue pull herself out of her stupor, chastising herself as she realized what she was thinking. _You aren't allowed to think that way no more, girl. What, you think you're gonna kiss him on a date or somethin'? Then what? He would most likely die._

She snapped herself to attention and heard the remnants of what Mr. McCoy was saying to Storm and Logan, focusing all her attention on the fuzzy, blue man in front of her. _"…_Amara decided she could help with the fire and the magma made it spread to the tent. So we had to bring the first round of students back with us, the rest will return in two days."

Rogue felt her eyes widen as he mentioned magma. What kind of powers did this girl have? She fought to keep her eyes on Mr. McCoy as the young man came into their circle, a rueful and devastatingly handsome half-smile on his lips. "It was a lot o' fun wit' Bobby tryin' to put the hot lava out wit' ice." He chuckled, "It took a couple o' minutes, but…well, hey 'dere." Just noticing her as he stood next to her, his red pupils sweeping down her form appreciatively and aiming a full smile at her.

Rogue was suddenly glad for the no contact rule. She could tell, somehow, this one was trouble.

He began to study her, full appreciation on his face as his eyes skimmed over her, his full smile becoming a slanted grin. Instantly, she felt outrage swell inside her. At least when she had studied _him _so closely, she had kept it hidden. _He _was staring at her outright, the appreciation fully apparent. Yes, this one had to be trouble.

"This is Gambit, Rogue." Storm offered, "A new team member. He's just joined."

Rogue nodded, if not a little stiffly. "Oh. Hello." Her voice was contained, and just a little clipped.

She could feel Logan's eyes on her, and when she glanced back at him, she saw his eyes switch to look at Gambit, his eyes narrowing suspiciously. Rogue forced herself to smile and looked at Mr. McCoy with reason. "So, lava? That's common?"

"Well, for Amara it is," He laughed. "And she does like to show off. Her powers are new, you see, so it is easy for her to lose control. They've just developed, so she is still trying to get used to them…"

As Mr. McCoy continued talking, she could see the newcomer's--Gambit's--eyes slide to her and she could see the intoxicating pupils narrow as his gaze focused on her. She gritted her teeth and tried to ignore him, feeling her outrage grow, but she found herself glancing at him as he suddenly jerked, as if he were remembering something. His head snapped away and when he glanced back at her, as if in surprise, his eyes were slightly wide.

Of course he had no idea she noticed since she was watching him out of her peripheral vision, but she managed to keep her face blank. There was no idea what he was thinking or recalling, or whatever, and she raised her chin. _It wouldn't involve me, anyways, what do Ah care?_

"…and so Gambit here, myself and Bobby have brought the first group back, hoping to settle in before the school year starts…" Rogue snapped to attention again, her eyes focusing on Mr. McCoy in front of her instead of out of the corner of her eye. _Bobby?_

"Bobby?" She repeated the voice that screamed in her head, swallowing hard. During all of the confusion, she had forgotten about seeing her old friends, about what it would be like--

"Hey, Hank, I've put the tent remains in the regular pile, we can take care of it later, and I sent Amara to finish unloading--"

Rogue turned, her heart jumping into her throat as she saw him walk into the kitchen.

He was taller, was her first thought, he must have grown. And his hair was still in the same short haircut, blonde as ever, his blue eyes sparkling in the afternoon light. His head was turned away as he walked in, most likely motioning to the girl, Amara, he was speaking of, when his head turned and he caught sight of her.

"Rogue." Instinctively, she moved her hands behind her back, linking her fingers tightly.

"Hi, Bobby." She said, having no idea what her face looked like. Did it give everything away?

His face opened into a smile as he stepped forward. "You're back!" He said in surprise. "What are you doing back here?" He caught her in a tight hug and she thanked the lord that he was wearing a turtleneck, the fabric against his neck pressing against her own. The suddenness and the tightness of the hug made her hands release from behind her as she wrapped them lightly around his shoulders, hugging him back tentatively.

"I can't believe that you came all the way back here," He laughed, pulling away and holding her arms, his hands smoothing down to, she figured, hold her wrists or hands in a friendly manner. "It is just for the holiday? Kitty will be so…" He must have felt the second layer of fabric under her long sleeves because his words cut off and he glanced down.

Rogue could feel the tension surround them as Bobby took in the white fabric of her gloves and glanced back up at her, his eyes full of shock, pain, and question. She swallowed before lowering her eyes to the floor. With a nervoud glance back up at Bobby, she slowly tugged her hands away, forcing herself to calm her heart beating in her chest. With no words, Bobby kept staring at her, his eyes full of regret and sorrow. She nodded once, acknowledging his understanding and forced a small, if weak, smile as she turned back towards the group.

She noticed that Logan and Storm had worked to keep the conversation going as she and Bobby had gone through their exchange. She also noticed that Gambit was studying her and Bobby, his face cool and calm while his eyes seemed sharp and calculating. She was sure that he had noticed the moment that had just occurred and she was also sure that this bothered her. Holding back a sound of annoyance, she turned her head away from him, focusing her gaze on Logan as he spoke, feeling Bobby's arm brush hers purposefully--meant in a friendly, comforting and reassuring manner all at once.

* * *

Later, Bobby sat in her new bedroom as she pulled the remaining items out of the box Logan had left her, placing them in her dresser. 

"When?"

"About a week ago." She answered, hearing the strong accent of her voice drift through and cringed. She sounded so strange with all these Yankees around.

"How?"

"Bobby--"

"Rogue."

She paused, swallowing. "At a bar. Ah put mah…boyfriend in the hospital."

There was a pause and she heard him let out the smallest of sighs behind her. "We weren't sure if it would happen to everyone…we really just thought it would be for the weaker, lower-level mutants." A swallow. "When we realized Magneto was back…well, I hoped, hoped it was just a fluke. I guess not."

She kept her gaze lowered, her eyes locked in the gloves in the drawer. In the back of her mind she recognized his lack of reaction to the news of a boyfriend and was glad of it.

Bobby was silent behind her now, though, and she turned, seeing the sorrow on his face. "I'm so sorry." He said, quietly.

"I know. Thanks" She nodded, feeling her throat constrict. She threw the glove in the open drawer and walked towards the bed. "Hey, at least my hands'll get all nice an' soft again," She offered, trying to joke.

Bobby glanced at her, reaching forward and grasping her gloved hand, the strange mixture of his body's cool heat seeping through the fabric. She squeezed back, momentarily, before sighing and pulling her hand away.

"Ah'm done with it." She said matter-of-factly. "Ah'm done cryin' 'bout it. Ah mean, obviously Ah can't change it anymore. So…it is what it is."

A small smile grazed his lips. "Oh yeah? When did you decide this?"

_When Ah was lyin' on the side of the road after Ah put a trucker in a coma. _"On mah way up here." She said out loud, taking a deep breath and rubbed her hands together, forecfully brightening her voice. "So, tell me about what y'all have been up to since Ah've been gone. Seems awfully excitin' 'round here."

He laughed. "Oh yeah? Don't let the camping story fool you, it's usually very boring in the school."

"Yeah?" She asked, taking a pair of old jeans out of the box and walking toward her dresser, she held them up, glad she had kept up her running schedule while down south. There was little chance of fitting into her old jeans any other way. As she stuffed in the drawer, she continued speaking. "Well, must not be too boring since Storm has pretty much demanded I get back on the team." She glanced back him, gauging his reaction this news.

He paused, a reluctant look coming to his face. "She's been taking real good care of this place, for the past few years…but now things are so hard and we need real leadership--not just in the school but for the team."

"What about Logan?"

"Logan's barely here, both physically and mentally." Bobby looked uncomfortable. "All the new political issues have brought up a lot history for him…about Jean and…Alcatraz." He shrugged. "I mean, he cares, he's stayed with the team and the school this whole time…but he lets Storm make a lot of the decisions."

Rogue felt guilt wash over her. One of her closest friends had been suffering and she hadn't even known, hadn't even been around. Feeling the guilt swell up, she cleared her throat and turned back towards him. "And, um, everyone else?" She asked, trying to change the subject.

"Well, Kitty's great, she's going to Princeton next year on a full scholarship for engineering. She's been doing part-time at the local college around here, like me, but now that she's got a full-ride, she can go to a good school."

Rogue smiled, "That's great." She knew Kitty would do great things.

"And we brought in a new professor. You'll meet her in a couple days. Her name's Emma Frost, we convinced her to come over from Magneto's side."

Rogue's eyes widened. "How'd you do that?"

Bobby grinned, "We showed her Logan. She, uh, she's very…feminine." He tried to stifle his grin now, rubbing his knuckles across his lips. "Emma really likes to use her…womanly ways…to get things done."

Rogue felt her mouth open and widen in a grin. "Really?" That was surprising. Besides Logan, everyone in this school was a straight-edge, goody-two shoes. Usually the ones who weren't switched "sides", such as John.

"She's a good teacher, though. Very pragmatic. She'll be truthful with you and give you real answers."

"What are her powers?"

"Oh, she's a psychic. This is another great thing," He was getting excited now, his face full of animation as he told her, "With Kitty's help, we've been able to reprogram Cerebro and start to use it like normal. She's not nearly as strong as the Professor was, or Jean, but she can do well enough." Rogue felt her eyes widen. The Mansion, and the team, had been doing fairly well in the past year.

Bobby continued, "With her help, we've brought in some more students and been able to really help mutants who need a place. That's actually how we found the new guy." The derision in Bobby's voice made Rogue pause before speaking and study him.

"The new guy?" She had a feeling she knew who he meant.

"The Cajun. Gambit." Bobby rolled his eyes. Rogue kept her gaze on him, feeling amusement rise in her at his reaction and also felt the same annoyance she had felt earlier rise within her.

"What's his story?" Bobby glanced at her, as if wondering why she were so interested and she looked blankly at him, waiting.

"Well, Emma just found him, out of the blue, saying she felt something strong from him when he was coming out of a bank in Virginia." He shrugged one shoulder, trying to see nonchalant. "No one really knows a whole lot about him, and he doesn't tell anything. It just feels like he's hiding something." Bobby glanced at her, "I was in Cerebro when she found him; he looked shady, even in that room."

Rogue nodded. "There's something' 'bout him that Ah don' like." She agreed, recalling his outright glances at her in the kitchen. He didn't make her uncomfortable, but the way he looked at her, it just..._annoyed_ her.

Bobby chuckled. "That's probably because he's a ladies man. He can get any girl he sets his sights on." He eyed her. "Well, maybe _almost _any girl now," Smiling, Bobby shook his head, "I don't get what girls see in him."

Rogue smiled feeling a familiar drawl come into her voice, "Why, are you jealous, Bobby Drake?"

Bobby glanced sharply at her, and she instantly regretted the flirtatious remark. Inwardly chastising herself, she remembered that she would have to watch herself here. This wasn't Alabama, and she would have to learn to resist her natural feeling of her flirtation. It was alright in the south, but here she was a mutant again--a deadly one. After a moment, Bobby snorted as a _yeah right_ look cross his face. "I'm not jealous." He said in such a way that Rogue suspected he just might be when Bobby shook his head again, his face becoming more serious now.

"There's just something about him I don't trust. He's got secrets. I can tell. Ones that he's taking major methods to hide."

* * *

Remy LeBeau parked the motercycle, walking quietly through the small town that neighbored Westchester. As he entered the regular small resturaunt he smiled at the pretty waitress as he slipped into the phone booth. He flashed his bright teeth at her, nodding once as she smiled back at him, enamored in his attention. He would chat her up when he was through with his phone call, perhaps charm her a bit. 

He adjusted his dark sunglasses as he picked up the receiver and dialed the familiar number.

"What?" The familiar voice barked into the phone, annoyed and impatient. Remy grinned.

"Things not goin' so well, _mon ami_?" He chuckled, knowing it would incite anger.

"It's not your concern." It came out a growl, which only made Remy's grin turn into a cynical smile. "What have you got?"

"Nothin' much, Ah mus' say." He drawled, stretching out his answer. "That camping excursion went a lil' awry…lotsa things got burned…"

"Cut the crap, LeBeau, I'm not in the mood."

"My, my, Johnny, you are so testy this morning'." Remy continued to drawl. "Maybe Ah'll just make sure to tell de Boss Man how un-cooperative you're bein'…"

There was a sharp exhalation and a curse muttered on the other end of the line. Remy's eyebrows shot up. "You kiss your mother with that mouth, Johnny?"

"I haven't kissed my mother in years, and how many times do I have to tell you? It's Pyro."

"Pyro," Remy had to hold back his laugh. "Well, Pyro, there's not much happenin' on this end, like Ah said before. They seem tah be waitin' for de Boss Man to be makin' a move."

"Are you sure? Aren't you a member of their oh so special team now?"

"Yes, Ah'm sure." Remy groaned, fighting the urge to rub the bridge of his nose in annoyance. _Mon Dieu, _every week it was the same routine. "They aren't too sure on me jus' yet, Ah gotta warm 'em up a lil'." He explained. Again.

"Well, that's just great." More mutterings and Remy sighed, loudly, as he waited for the conversation to continue. Just to try to shut him, Remy offered up a small piece of information that interested _him _a great deal.

"A new student arrived yesterday. Or came back, Ah guess. Some girl with white in her hair." He made sure to sound as if this information didn't matter. He couldn't let Pyro know that it interested him, after all.

There was a pause and, for some reason, Remy felt his stomach clench at that meaningful silence. He honestly had not expected the kid to care about her at all.

"Really?" Pyro sounded interested. Too interested. "Why would _she_ come back?"

"No one would say," Remy answered slowly, feeling cautious now. "Seemed pretty emotional." He recalled the scene he had witnessed between the girl and Bobby Drake, and ignored the sense of jealousy he felt at the _camaraderie _they obviously had shared.

"I should think so." There was a pregnant pause, then Pyro's voice was full of excitement. "It must be happening then, just like he said it would." Remy felt a heaviness in his chest as he realized what that meant, and what that must have meant for the girl. He cleared his throat, knowing he had to hide his true feelings.

"She's sure a pretty lil' _fille_, though." He drawled, forcing the usual amount of self confidence in his voice to push through.

"Don't get your hopes up there, Romeo," John snickered. "You aren't gonna find any help in any department with _that _chick."

Remy swallowed, trying to hide the surprising anger he felt rising in his throat. "Yeah? Why's that?" True intendancy was apparent in his voice. He was surprised at that.

"Her mutation's in her skin. You touch any part of her skin, she absorbs everything about you--powers, mind, memories. She can damn near kill you." He chuckled wryly. "I should know."

For some unknown reason, Remy's heart clutched and he had to fight not to grab his chest. Of course, with the gloves…and seeing her old friend…who reacted strongly to her wearing the gloves…the regret that passed between them…and the warning look that Wolverine had sent his way as Rogue had exited the room, practically warning Remy to stay away….

"…when's the soonest you can get out here?" John was saying, bringing Remy back to the present. "There's an errand that needs to be taken care of…and apparently you're the man to do it."

Remy could hear the spite in that last comment and rolled his eyes. _Poor boy, so used to being the favorite._ "It might be awhile," he began, "Ah'm not sure if something'll come up soon."

"Well, work it out. Keep us updated." The line cut out and Remy closed his eyes as he hung up the receiver. He suddenly felt sick, feeling it was a huge mistake to have mentioned anything about the new girl. About Rogue.

It had taken a moment, in the kitchen, but he had recognized her. It was the white hair that reminded him. It really wasn't everyday that you saw hair like that. How odd that they would meet up again. What a coincidence that she had come from the very place he had been sent to…

She had no memory of him, of course. She had never even really spoken to him that night, or seen him in the dark bar. With a jerk, he remembered something very important about that night: he had touched her. He had kissed her neck. That small action, and the reaction it had created within him that night, had helped to keep the memory of the mystery girl fresh in his mind this past year.

_Mon Dieu_, he realized, _so it _must _be true. The Boss Man is finally right 'bout sometin'! _

This thought made him feel both relieved and brought a strange heaviness on his heart, causing him to shake his head, trying to clear his thoughts. _C'mon, man! Think of all that he's doin' for you! It's certainly no time to be havin' second thoughts 'bout this agreement…An' remember, Remy LeBeau is not one to throw out a good deal all for _une fille.

Remy slipped out of the booth, his face grim, and sauntered over to the counter. As if to prove his point, he wondered if he could charm a free slice of pie, and maybe more, out of that waitress to cheer him up…

* * *

_A/N: I was told by a friend that I need to be more detailed and descriptive when I write, so I gave it a try (I also think the real introdction of Gambit deserved as much attention as possible, haha). Don't know how well I succeeded, that's for you guys to decide but I also wanted to give a kind of fill-in chapter about the Mansion and some of the characters there since Rogue has been gone, and give some foreshadowing for the events to come. Let me know what you think, and I hope you enjoyed it!_


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